Surround yourself with good people. That’s what Sam Hunt told us that he tries to do when we met him in November at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston and that was in direct response to why he chose up-and-coming country act, Native Run, to support his debut Lipstick Graffiti tour this winter. Bryan Dawley and Rachel Beauregard, who together make up Native Run, try to do the same thing- surround themselves with good people. And that approach has worked extremely well for this extremely talented duo. New England Country Music was fortunate enough to speak with both Bryan and Rachel about everything from their musical influences, their unique musical backgrounds, their journey to the Music City, and so much more!
So how did Native Run get to where they are today? It wasn’t an easy road. For many years it was a long commute from Virginia to Nashville in Bryan’s family’s mini van. But with persistence, determination, and friendship, they have overcome incredible obstacles that led them to a record deal with Show Dog Universal and the opportunity to support tours of some of the best in country music.
Bryan and Rachel originally met approximately five years ago. Rachel went to college with Bryan’s friends and the two went to the same church together and were on the same worship team. As they sang together, they realized that they had some really great harmonies and that is when they decided to team up going forward. They originally went under the name Deep River. However, after learning someone already owned the Deep River trademark, the group had to find a different name. And to do so, they used one of today’s best tools- social media. They reached out to their followers and friends on social media and asked them to provide words or phrases that reminded them of the group, and that’s how the name Native Run came about.
Native Run waiting to take the stage in Anaheim, CA.
As mentioned above, Bryan and Rachel have some very unique musical backgrounds. Bryan studied classical music in college and even played in an orchestra while Rachel has formal training in Germanic opera. Yes, that’s right, Germanic opera. And although they may not be using their classical music or their opera today, that experience still pulls into their current day performing and preparation. Rachel says, “It (Germanic opera) made me realize to be a vocalist it requires a lot of your life and energy. I think that kind of rock and roll mentality of being on the road, and being a rock star, and staying up late and drinking and smoking, that works for a lot of people. But it doesn’t work for me. So I think it helped me learn that my vocals are everything. Eating, sleeping, every waking moment was part of the training. Kind of like an athlete. So I think that really helped me prepare for this career as far as the intensity that is required of your body.” That experience shows the diversity that comes into play in their lifestyle now, but that diversity can also be seen in their wide arrange of musical influences.
Both Rachel and Bryan love the Punch Brothers but individually they have different tastes in music. Rachel loves everything from the Beatles and Bryan Adams to Keith Urban and Shania Twain but admits that her guilty (but no so guilty) pleasure is Katy Perry. Bryan loves classic rock and remembers that the first song he learned to play on the guitar was Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling.’ Bryan says, “One of the things that we strive for in our music that I think sets it apart is letting a variety of influences shine through. We grew up in DC; home of go-go music and various other styles of music. We like some hip hop influence in our music and also on the complete other spectrum using bluegrass instruments and creating music that’s instrumentally driven is definitely a priority too. All of those things, we’re trying to do, in a way that’s a little different and signature to the Native Run sound.” He goes on to add, “It’s good for the musical mind, to touch on a lot of things.”
Native Run spent the latter half of 2014 on the road with David Nail as a supporting act on his I’m A Fire tour, which included a stop in Boston. And they did not fail to impress the crowd. From their first song to their last, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands, listening to every chord and verse they played. One of the most memorable songs that Native Run played at that show was a cover of TLC’s ‘Waterfalls.’ Covering songs has become a staple of Native Run, as they do a YouTube series called ‘Covers Under the Covers.’
Between their live covers and their YouTube series, it was only natural to ask what draws Native Run to cover songs. Bryan says, “I think the ‘Covers Under the Covers’ is so fun for us. Cover songs are so fun for us because it’s great to reach outside your genre and then place it within the constructs of the genre. Like playing a TLC song with banjo in it or something. It’s a fun exercise for us. Anytime we choose covers we’re always thinking what would be an interesting juxtaposition. Which is why we do ‘Waterfalls ‘and why we love it so much.”
During their live performances, Native Run seems to perfectly balance the mix of cover songs and their original music. And that was evident during their set at the House of Blues in Boston last year. When the duo first arrived in Nashville, they wrote over 100 songs in the first year they were there, so they have quite the selection of songs to choose from. But the one that sticks out the most is their first single, ‘Good On You.’ Rachel tells us that it wasn’t easy to pick which song would be their first single. “We wrote a ton of really fun, up-tempo songs that we were very attached to. You get nervous because it’s your first one. So it’s peoples’ first introduction to you but also because it is your first one, you are kind of aware that it could be your sacrificial lamb as well. So I feel like it was a really tough decision. We loved all of our songs that were contenders at the time.”
Native Run just kicked off 2015 as the supporting act of Sam Hunt’s Lipstick Graffiti tour; a tour that Native Run is so excited to start. Speaking on the opportunity, Bryan says, “We are huge fans of what Sam is doing. We’re excited to link arms with him and feel our music is a good match for his show. They are going to be great shows every night. How can you not be excited to play for audiences who are primed and ready?” The tour will make two stops in New England including a stop in Boston’s House of Blues and the Higher Ground Ballroom in Vermont. When we informed the duo of how the originally planned show at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club sold out in a matter of minutes, and after the show was moved to the House of Blues, it sold out again in a matter of minute, they described it as ‘crazy and insane.’ But when we told them about what Sam Hunt said about surrounding himself with good people, Rachel went on to say, “Wow. That’s amazing! When you really find people like Sam and other people who are like-minded, you definitely want to link arms. That’s really sweet that he said that.”
In 2015, keep your eyes out for Native Run as they tour and come to a city near to you but also keep an eye out for their debut record. This duo has come so far in the past five years. From just meeting each other, to commuting to Nashville in Bryan’s parents’ mini van, to signing a record deal with Show Dog Universal, and touring. They have done so much in a short period of time, and with the talent and attitude this duo has, they have such a bright future ahead of them.
You can stay up to date with Native Run on Twitter, Facebook, and on their official website.